1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image formation control apparatus and a printing control method for applying post-processing to a printing medium which has been subjected to printing using a post-processing apparatus, and to a recording medium and a data signal.
2. Related Art
As represented by PDF (Portable Document Format), which is a de facto standard, an electronic document can generally be formed with its image data hierarchically organized. Thus, by forming an added image such as an electronic seal on a layer (i.e., a level of hierarchy) different from that for the main body of an electronic document, the added image can be added to the main body of the electronic document such that the added image can be separated from the document. When an electronic document is formed in such a data structure, the main body of the electronic document (e.g., a certificate and an official document) can be displayed on a screen with an electronic seal put on it while ensuring its authenticity, which thus allows a user to visually confirm the printed image of the electronic document before printing it.
However, an added image such as an electronic seal is formed on a printing medium in an identical manner with the image of the main body of the electronic document. That is, the image of an authorized electronic seal that is printed with the main body of an electronic document cannot be distinguished from the image of an electronic seal that is illegally added on the main body of the electronic document and printed. Consequently, when an electronic seal is used, the authenticity of an electronic document can be confirmed on a display screen but cannot be ensured when the document is printed.